‘If UNRWA can’t operate, humanitarian system in Gaza will collapse’ – UN

The UN humanitarian and human rights community reacted forcefully on Tuesday to the vote by the Israeli Knesset banning the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), warning of the devastating impact on millions of Palestinians who depend on it.

They joined their voices to UN chief António Guterres’s who said after the vote on Monday that if implemented, the two new Israeli laws impacting the agency “would likely prevent UNRWA from continuing its essential work” in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as mandated by the UN General Assembly. He insisted that “there is no alternative to UNRWA”.

UN migration agency (IOM) Director-General Amy Pope told journalists in Geneva that UNRWA has provided “the backbone of infrastructure within places like Gaza”, including education and health care for people who have been living there for decades. “That's not something that IOM does,” she stressed, explaining that instead, with adequate support, the UN migration agency can help the displaced, “those who need shelter, those who need hygiene kits, those who do not have sufficient access to protection”.

“There's no way for IOM to step in to do what UNRWA has done,” she concluded. “UNRWA is absolutely essential.”

Humanitarian affairs coordination office (OCHA) spokesperson Jens Laerke insisted that the UN is trying to “not have an implementation” of the Knesset decision. He highlighted the outpouring of protest not only from the UN, but also from “prominent government officials… and heads of State”, against a decision which is “wrong” for the millions of Palestinians who require UNRWA’s help.

“If implemented, this would add to the acts of collective punishment that we have seen imposed on Gaza,” he added.

UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) spokesperson James Elder warned that if UNRWA was unable to operate, “[we] would likely see the collapse of the humanitarian system in Gaza”.

He stressed that UNICEF distributes aid within the Gaza Strip with the support of UNRWA and would become unable to reach people in desperate need throughout the enclave with lifesaving supplies if the Israeli Knesset votes became law after 90 days.

“I'm talking vaccines. I'm talking winter clothes. I'm talking hygiene kits, health kits, water and sanitation” as well as nutrition supplies, he said, in a situation where “we're knocking on the door of famine”.

“A decision such as this suddenly means that a new way has been found to kill children,” he insisted.

Mr. Elder said that with the Strip’s population “physically… on death's door and psychologically in uncharted territory,” taking away health care workers and nutritionists would be lethal for Gaza’s youngsters.

Wider healthcare provision across Gaza is also at risk from the Knesset vote, with some 3,000 out of 13,000 UNRWA staff in Gaza medical workers, said World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson Tarik Jašarević. This service “couldn't be matched by any agency, including WHO”, he added. Last year, UNRWA provided more than six million medical consultations in health centres run by the agency, with consultations “for more than half of [the] Gaza population,” the WHO spokesperson said, in addition to disease surveillance, malnutrition screening and child immunization services. Notably, UNRWA provided one third of the health workers involved in the polio vaccination campaign which has been rolled out in Gaza since September, Mr. Jašarević said.

A second round of the campaign in the north of the Strip is on hold due to the lack of humanitarian pauses as relentless Israeli bombardments continue. In the current context it is “difficult to imagine” that it could go forward,the WHO spokesperson said. He highlighted that out of 25 requests for humanitarian missions this month, “only seven managed to take place - others were either denied or were impeded”.

Jeremy Laurence of the UN human rights office (OHCHR) said that High Commissioner Volker Türk had pointed to the “potential dire impact” on the rights of all those who depend on UNRWA.

Mr. Laurence reiterated OHCHR’s previous concerns “about Israel’s compliance with international law” with regard to its intense bombardment of Gaza, where tens of thousands of civilians have been killed, according to the local authorities. Mr. Laurence also highlighted that Israel remained bound by its obligations “under a range of human rights treaties”, including the International Covenant on Economic and Social Rights, which enshrines rights to adequate food, housing, education, health, social security, water and sanitation, and work.

“Without UNRWA, the delivery of food, healthcare, education, among other things, to most of Gaza’s population, would grind to a halt,” he said.

“Civilians have already paid the heaviest price of this conflict over the past year. Truly, this decision will only make matters worse for them, far worse.”

-ends-

STORY: Knesset UNRWA vote – UN reaction IOM – OCHA – UNICEF – WHO - OHCHR

TRT: 4:49”

SOURCE: UNTV CH

RESTRICTIONS: NONE

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

ASPECT RATIO: 16:9

DATELINE: 29 OCTOBER 2024 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

1. Exterior wide shot: Palais des Nations, Flag Alley.

2. Wide lateral shot: Speakers at the podium of the press conference from rear; speaker on screens; journalists in the Press room.

3. SOUNDBITE (English) – Amy Pope, Director-General, UN International Organization for Migration (IOM): “UNRWA now has provided basically the backbone of infrastructure within places like Gaza. They provide education, they provide health care, they provide some of the most basic needs, for people who have been living there for decades. That's not something that IOM does.”

4. Wide lateral shot: Speakers at the podium of the press conference from rear; speaker on screens; journalists in the Press room.

5. SOUNDBITE (English) – Amy Pope, Director-General, UN International Organization for Migration (IOM): “What IOM does well and what IOM is doing and can do more of, with the support of the various stakeholders, is to provide humanitarian support. So, support to those who are displaced, support to those who need shelter, support to those who need hygiene kits, support to those who do not have sufficient access to protection. That's where IOM can play a role. So, there's no way for IOM to step in to do what UNRWA has done. UNRWA is absolutely essential.”

6. Wide lateral shot: Speakers at the podium of the press conference from rear; speaker on screens; journalists in the Press room.

7. SOUNDBITE (English) – Jens Laerke, Spokesperson, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “We are trying to not have an implementation of this because it's not been - the decision has been made. We have seen, an outpouring of protests and not only from the UN, but I dare say, from very prominent government officials and heads of State, actually, around the world, you know, calling this out as, as this is wrong. For a number of, of reasons, I would say, first and foremost for the millions of Palestinians.”

8. Wide lateral shot: Speaker on screens; journalists in the Press room.

9. SOUNDBITE (English) – Jens Laerke, Spokesperson, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “If implemented, this would add to the acts of collective punishment that we have seen imposed on Gaza.”

10. Wide shot: Speakers at the podium of the press conference; speaker on screens; journalists in the Press room.

11. SOUNDBITE (English) – James Elder, Spokesperson, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF): “If UNRWA's unable to operate, [we] would likely see the collapse of the humanitarian system in Gaza. UNICEF would become effectively unable to distribute lifesaving supplies here. I'm talking vaccines. I'm talking winter clothes. I'm talking hygiene kits, health kits, water and sanitation, RUTF [ready-to-use therapeutic food] on malnutrition - and we know, again, we're knocking on the door of famine - and all range of nutrition supplies. So, a decision such as this suddenly means that a new way has been found to kill children.”

12. Wide lateral shot: Journalists in the Press room; speaker on screens.

13. SOUNDBITE (English) – James Elder, Spokesperson, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF): “You take away the health care workers, you take away the nutritional support, you take away the people who will provide the lifesaving supplies for a population that is physically absolutely on death's door and psychologically, of course, in uncharted territory. You take away these health care workers, you take away the nutritionists. Then we will see many more children die.”

14. Wide lateral shot: Journalists in the Press room; speaker on screens.

15. SOUNDBITE (English) – Tarik Jašarević, Spokesperson, UN World Health Organization (WHO): “They basically provided more than six million medical consultations last year in health centres that are run by UNRWA. And they have been providing these consultations for more than half of [the] Gaza population. They are also doing immunization of children. They are doing screening for disease surveillance, screening for malnutrition. They have been active in the polio campaign.”

16. Wide lateral shot: Journalists in the Press room; speaker on screens.

17. SOUNDBITE (English) – Tarik Jašarević, Spokesperson, UN World Health Organization (WHO): “Out of 25 requests for missions this month, only seven of them managed to take place. Others were either denied or were impeded. So, in this setting, while we don't have agreement on humanitarian pauses that would cover areas where children are, it is difficult to imagine to have this second round of polio vaccination.”

18. Wide shot: Speakers at the podium of the press conference; speaker on screens; journalists in the Press room.

19. SOUNDBITE (English) – Jeremy Laurence, Spokesperson, UN Human Rights (OHCHR): “Our office has repeatedly raised concerns about Israel's compliance with international law, but can also point to its obligations under a range of human rights treaties, including the cornerstone International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which Israel is party to. To this extent, without UNRWA, the delivery of food, shelter, health care, education amongst other things, to most of Gaza's population, would grind to a halt.”

20. Various shots of journalists in the Press room.